You can find a surprising range of products at most Rite Aids. On top of being a pharmacy, these stores often carry food, drinks, and even toys.
However, you may be wondering if you can purchase cigarettes during your next Rite Aid trip. To find out, take a look at what I learned below!
Does Rite Aid Sell Cigarettes In 2024?
Rite Aid has sold cigarettes for most of its lifespan. However, the company has recently announced that it will phase out tobacco products at all of its stores in 2024. With that said, this process will take a while, so your local Rite Aid may continue selling cigarettes for a number of months.
For further information on tobacco products Rite Aid sells, keep reading everything I discovered below!
Does Rite Aid Sell Tobacco?
Whether Rite Aid stores sell tobacco depends on the store, as some stores may still sell tobacco, while others will not.
In 2020, Rite Aid announced that it will move away from selling tobacco and is slowly phasing it out of its stores.
However, Rite Aid has not completely stopped selling tobacco at all locations. Therefore, your local store may or may not carry cigarettes or similar tobacco products.
Your best bet is to call ahead and see where your local store stands.
Furthermore, Rite Aid has also announced that it will no longer sell tobacco to anyone under 2021. Per store policy, all associates must ask for an ID at checkout to provide these products.
Furthermore, the store has also removed most vaping products and e-cigarettes from its store.
For the most part, this company does not want to sell vaping or smoking products of any sort, though it hasn’t phased out these products at all locations.
This company enforced higher age limits and phased out products far before the FDA cracked down on vaping products and tobacco use by minors.
Why Can’t You Buy Cigarettes at Rite Aid?
A few years ago, the company announced that it would phase out all tobacco products from its shelves.
Of course, this takes a while to do when you have so many stores. Therefore, while most Rite Aids do not sell cigarettes, some of them still do.
It’s highly recommended that you call your local Rite Aid and ask before you head over there for cigarettes. There is often no other way to tell if your local store sells these products or not.
A few years before Rite Aid announced that it would phase out cigarettes, the company also increased the minimum purchasing age on tobacco products to 21, citing fears over tobacco use by teens.
Furthermore, the company also completely removed any vaping products from its stores.
Again, the company cited the fear over teen use of these products, which has reportedly increased over the last few years.
With that said, the company didn’t give a specific reason why it’s phasing out tobacco products like cigarettes.
Likely it has to do with the health impacts, which the company cannot support as a drug store.
Does Rite Aid Sell Smoking Cessation Products?
While this store may be phasing out tobacco and raising the purchasing age, it is continuing to sell a variety of smoking cessation products.
Many of these are available right off the shelf without a prescription. As you might expect, this store also carries gum, patches, and a range of other cessation products.
For the most part, all of the popular cessation products are at these stores. You can also shop for them online and ship them to your door.
Of course, there is a minimum purchasing age for these products, since they contain nicotine. In fact, you must verify that you are over 18 before viewing these products on the company website.
Does Rite Aid Sell Any Tobacco-Related Products?
For the most part, this store does not sell any tobacco-related products. Instead, it has phased out most cigarettes.
In fact, this company has never sold an array of related products, like ashtrays or cigarette papers. Therefore, for most of your tobacco needs, you’ll need to search elsewhere.
Of course, if you’re looking for something specific, you can always call your local Rite Aid and see if it has it.
For the most part, though, these companies do not sell any tobacco products.
If you want to learn more, you can also read our posts on whether or not Rite Aid sells stamps, if Walgreens sells cigarettes, and if Publix sells cigarettes.
Conclusion
There are a lot of products that Rite Aid does sell. However, while it has sold cigarettes since opening, the company has started to phase tobacco products out at its stores.
Therefore, you may not be able to find cigarettes at your local Rite Aid when you once could. At the moment, it just depends on if that store has phased them out or not.
